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My cats have so much fun roaming indoors and just looking out the window. I've never let them outside, and they've never really tried to get out. I feel safer with them indoors, and there are myriad studies that show that indoor cats are generally healthier and live longer.
Sorry to hear about your loss. Your cat was inside for a few years. She lost many of her survival skills and probably didn't know or remember what a car looks like. Outside pets take some chances for the freedom they enjoy. Indoor only cats die too, but many never enjoyed the freedom your cat did. Please take comfort in knowing that you gave her that.
That's true - thank you.
Still - having to see her that way and put her down - it's a very strong motivator. I understand that cats should be in their natural habitat...but that habitat gets more and more dangerous, and UN-natural, every day, thanks to man.
I look at it this way - I was never meant to live in a box, either, but I do. Might as well have some good company.
Imagine your cat run over, hurt in a dog or cat fight, sick from parasites, harmed by teenagers with no conscience, shot by an angry neighbor, and on and on. Small price? I don't think so!
That reminds me of a segment of "Animal Planet" I just caught the other night - the ASPCA (Dallas) Cruelty Enforcement team had a case - the cat had been doused with lighter fluid by a 14-year old kid, lit on fire, then tied to the back of his bike and dragged down the street.
Somehow, the cat survived and was adopted out to a loving family. The kid? He was scheduled to receive counseling.
My once feral 15 year old boy is quite happy living his life inside. Every now and then a mouse ventures inside and he catches it. Even when a door is ajar, he never goes out. He just likes looking out the window and is very scared outside.
My 10 year old girl likes to go out. She mostly goes out on a 50 ft. long tether and wears a harness. She does run out from time to time but is pretty good about letting me catch her and put on the tether.
The extra cat goes out on his own all the time. But then, he's just here in lieu of a death sentence at the pound. He gets food, shelter, and vet care, plus petting - much better than most unwanted strays get and he gets to come inside when he wants to.
We have four cats that have not been outside in over 10 years. The two older ones spent their first year in the country and do not seem to miss the outdoors. Our vet said that they will live much longer than outdoor cats that are exposed to Feline leukemia, Feline Immune virus and many other diseases. We have not had fleas in years and do not even use advantage except on my dog now and then. We have had cats for many years and lost them to dogs, diseases, raccoons, bobcats, mountain lion once and one ate snail bait that a neighbor had put out. One of my clients had a cat, Leviticus, that never ventured outdoors and it made it to 28 years old. I also feed the local bird life with over 40 pounds of birdseed a month and do not appreciate cats in my yard. My dog, Chelsea is trained to chase any cats that get in the yard, out of the yard. She is fine with the indoor cats though. She leaves the birds alone.
Our cat got out one day and into a neighbors yard, he said if she came in his yard agian he would call the pound and have her taken away. Being I am a Chicagoan at hard my response was not so nice. Alot of people hate cats so we make sure ours dont get out but sometimes it happens.
One has to make the choice...safety and wellfare of the animal or letting it do what it wants. My kids, as young children wanted to play in the street too, but I opted to keep them safe.
Common sense prevails....Unfortunately, most of us have probably learned the hard way...and have all had a cat hit by a car, or disappear. There is thread running right now about cat missing in Pet forum. I betting IF this woman ever finds her cat, it becomes an indoor kitty. Saying a cat has street smarts just doesn't cut it when it comes to a speeding car or coyote.
My 5 are perfectly happy being indoor cats...not a one of them has even tried to go out the door. In fact, I can leave the door wide open and they would just stand at the threshold. They have 3 climbing trees and so many toys, I could open up my own toy section...I can honestly say, they are NEVER bored! Just loved and very, very, safe.
Losing them to outdoor dangers is too hard on me. My cats have been indoor only for 20 years now; this is all of my current cats. Being indoors is what they know. The plus side is that I don't spend so much at the vet because they don't get fleas, parasites, or cat fight wounds, and they don't kill birds and rabbits (and leave their bodies strewn about as outdoor cats do). My babies will never be outdoor cats.
If you've got a lot of land and few cars or neighbors nearby, then outside may be a good option. Unfortunately, I've always lived in cities and have been advised to keep my cat indoors. Actually, for my most recent kitten it was an agreement on the adoption contract. Roaming around and hunting is fun, but it's just too dangerous once you factor in dumpsters, trash, traffic, diseases, dogs, city rats, cat-hating neighbors, etc. My parents have a screened porch that their cat enjoys, and mine is perfectly happy to watch the birds and hunt bugs on our balcony (too high to jump off, no other balcony close by).
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